#hear me ou [gets skewered]

[gloomyronin]

Heard we were bringing the hear me out thing back.

With that said—

[buttercuparry]

Jonrya secret santa. For @lijee. Prompt: Jon and arya happily married with children.

She could hear the wolves singing that night. Their howls louder than it had ever been before. It made her feel strong somehow. Strong like the walls that surround her here at Winterfell. Strong like her lady mother.

But mother is never afraid, she thought. Then why am l?

She shook her head vehemently at that "No! you cannot be afraid! Not tonight! Besides there is no such thing as grumpkins, Osha was just trying to scare you into staying in bed." she scolded herself " You are almost a woman grown now. Stop being a baby!" And so with that Bryanna Targaryen took a deep breathe and strode out of her bedchamber into the darkness of the hallway for she had to go and see her mother. She just had to.

——————————————————————

Jon wanted to tear his hair out. Never had he ever felt such fear like this. Not during the battle of dawn. Not even when Brya came squalling and kicking in this world. Why would he? He had her by his side. Always. His strength, his peace. His Arya.

But she had taken to a chill a moon ago and had been so weak ever since. And now with the babe coming early, he did not know what to do. Because everytime he closed his eyes all he could imagine was Arya's broken body on a bloody bed. And it terrified him.

Samwell's grim face terrified him.

He wanted to curse then. Himself, the gods and of course Bran's betrothed, lady Meera of house Reed. She did not even allow him to be beside Arya's birthing bed this time, going as far as to give him a firm tongue lashing when he tried to force his way in. He could have laughed, oh yes he could have. But his heart was filled with so much dread that he wasn't even sure if he would ever laugh again. Would he ever? Or was it all going to go away tonight?

And as if to answer his question a loud howl peirced through the heart of the night startling Jon. Nymeria! And Ghost too! Followed by the wolf song of their smaller cousins. It was beautiful, haunting and wild.

Yes. He thought, sing. Sing for your queen. Sing so that she may draw her strength from your song. So that my prayers would reach the ears of the Old gods. So that the Many faced God may hear me too. He can't have her. No he can't.

Jon found himself clutching a nearby tapestry at the thought. His knuckles white from the force of his grip. He could not lose her. He would not be able to survive if he did.

Damn it! Arya…..

“Father? ”

He stilled upon hearing her call and drew in a deep breathe to calm himself. He turned around and saw a head full of mussed dark curls peeking from behind the wall of the hallway. He smiled a little then. He had to. For Brya looks so much like her mother. From the eyes, to the nose, to the hair. He had fallen in love with the babe the moment he laid his eyes on her, five years ago.

His first born. His princess.

He walked over to her then and took her by hand. Hoisting her up in his arms, he nuzzled at her nose.

" What are you doing up so late?" he asked gently mindful to not show the fear he was feeling inside. " You know you are supposed to be in bed. "

The child looked away guiltily. Fisting the cloth of his tunic, she murmured " I want to see mother."

" Brya...." Jon sighed " you know we have talked about this before, your moth-"

" I know. I know. " the child said quickly. " I won't be causing trouble. I swear. I just want to see her. "

" Oh child " he kissed her forehead softly, " I promise I will send for you as soon as your mother is able to see to you. Go now. This is not a place where a child should be."

Jon let her down from his arms but Brya still did not move. She shuffled her feet and kicked at the floor. A frown forming on her face. Jon knew that frown. Brya was after all her mother's daughter and therefore just as stubborn. He knew she won't be going anywhere until she saw her mother.

Jon rubbed a hand over his face. Arya would skewer him if she ever came to know that he let Brya stay outside their bedchamber at a time like this. The child would be terrified and heaven only knows what she would think of Arya's screams. He crouched in front of her then.

"Brya, my sweet child." he raked his fingers gently through her hair. " You are going to be a sister soon. How will you greet the baby properly if you get sleepy? Don't you want meet the baby?"

" Yes I do! " she said eagerly clutching his hand "I do so much. "

Despite himself Jon chuckled a little " Then you have to be ready for when your mother calls for you. And you have to go to bed now. "

Brya looked like she wanted to argue but then thought better of it. Chewing her lips she nodded her head. " I just miss her. Osha and Gilly did not let me visit her for the past two weeks " she said, her voice quite.

Jon smiled and took her hand in his then " Come, I will tuck you in and make sure that there are no grumpkins under the bed."

" I am not afraid of grumpkins!"

Jon laughed again.

——————————————————————

When Jon eventually did burst in through the door, she had to smile even in the midst of her labour throes. Meera looked annoyed though and she warned him to not touch anything. Jon could not have been more indifferent to the chiding even if he wanted to. Arya had to stiffle a laugh. This was painful in itself. No need to add to it. He came straight to her then and clutched her hand. Her palms were sweaty but he did not seem to mind it in the least. He kissed the back of her hand and she held on to him tightly.

" Brya came by. " Jon said softly.

" Oh? " she asked, her heart yearning for her little girl.

" Wh...why....ah...is sh..she..up?" Arya clenched her teeth as a wave of pain washed over her.

" She missed you." Jon said while caressing her face.

Arya smiled again then. Her sickness had taken a toll on her and the last two weeks had been difficult. She just hoped that she could make it through the night. For Brya. For the babe in her belly. And of course for Jon.

For she could tell that Jon was trying to be brave. He looked calm but she could feel the slight tremble of his hands, see the bags under his eyes, the haphazard state of clothing and the poorly trimmed beard. And God's forbid if anything happened to her then he would....he would...

Oh my love!

She could not think about it. Not now. She had to fight now. She was so close to facing the god of death. But she won't. She promised herself that she won't.

What do we say to the god of death?

Not today.

She heard it then. Even from behind the heavy oaken doors, with blood rushing to her ears, she heard it. The wolf song.

" Jo....n....do....ah.." Arya clutched his hand " do..y...ou...hear....the...ah....wolves? T...they...sound..so...bea....beautiful "

" They do" Jon agreed. " I have heard Nymeria. "

" She....ah...is...h...here?"

" Yes."

" Oh. "

Nymeria had never really come back to the castle. After so many years of roaming in the riverlands she held no love for the castle life. She came back for her though. Everytime Arya needed her, she came.

Bitch from the seventh-hell hell, Arya thought. I need you now. Let me hear you. Be be my strength. Oh Nymeria.

And then when Gilly came to her to hold a towel to her forehead and Samwell softly told her that it was time to push, she pushed with all the strength left in her.

——————————————————————

The people of Winterfell and Wintertown soon celebrated the birth of king Bran's nephew. The wolf queen was said to be still recovering and prince Jon Targaryen of Dragonstone was now a beaming father of two beautiful children. Bryanna was an elder sister now and had so much responsibilities. It was said that she vowed to protect her little brother against all the evil grumpkins. Her mother had kissed her forehead for that and promised to teach her water dancing as soon as she was able. After all winter was still coming.

[rpchive]

Ninety Third Encounter-- Our Lives as Equals

this log’s a lot shorter compared to the last few

Firefly sits in her room, at her desk by herself; the dishes from her breakfast remaining off to the side of her desk. Most of the food has gone entirely untouched, and her drink never emptied. Letting out a sigh, she leans back in her chair and stares up at the ceiling for a moment. Someone knocks on the other side of her door, although the pattern isn't one that she recognizes. Pushing away from her desk, Firefly goes over and opens her door slightly. "...Something happening?" Daedalus stands on the other side of her door, looking somewhat exhausted and very much unsure of himself. "Nothing's burning, if that's what you mean." Firefly: Well, that's a relief. Eye of the storm, I'm sure, but it's nice while it lasts. Daedalus: Yeah, well, seems to be the pattern at least. Anyway, I, uh... I'm not sure how you're supposed to say this, so I'm just gonna throw some words out here I guess. Thanks for saving me from being skewered like a marshmallow until the end of time by that Oz freak. Firefly: ...I mean, he wouldn't have stopped; he was distracted; I only had one shot...it was the right thing, and the only thing to do; otherwise everybody would've just kept suffering until Collin was dead, and then who knows what that idiot would've done to everything. Daedalus: I'd rather not think about it, frankly. I already dealt with a computer with a god complex, I don't want to start moving on to people with one. Still, I am curious about something. Also, I know I'm still on thin ice here, but is the "cracked door" move really necessary? Visibly embarrassed, Firefly pulls her door open. "...I wasn't thinking about it." Daedalus: It's fine, I get it. I'd just rather not feel like the world's worst girl scout or something. Anyway, how did you get to Oz and I anyway? That city was a complete disaster, and it sounded like everyone else was trapped in their own little bubble or whatever to boot. Firefly: I don't really understand it myself...through the seams of their broken reality; something was...something saw me; nobody else was looking back, but when I looked at that person, I could tell they could see me too, so I tried to reach out to them. The seams got less chaotic, less random; the reality around me stopped distorting as much; for a moment, I was almost sure they were going to just pull me through, but they didn't. They flung me out of the seams, past everybody else, and told me I was "the only one who could stop this," so I did. Daedalus gives Firefly a look that is much similar to one he would give to someone who just grew two extra heads, and slowly nods once. "... Uh-huh." Firefly: ...Look, you asked for an answer, and I was honest; if you don't believe me, you said what you needed to. Daedalus: No no, I believe you, I just... didn't expect /that/ as an answer. Some mystery figure throwing you through all of that nonsense right to where you needed to be... Who the hell could do something like that? Firefly: I have no idea. Everyone else I saw just looked like a different version of myself... Daedalus: Impressive. The more detail you give, the more confused I get.

in those infinite realities, Firefly met one of the versions of herself that became a full god, and that’s who helped her stop Oz

Firefly: Believe me, I've spent every waking moment since we got back trying to figure out why that could've happened... Daedalus: Well, I suppose I should leave you to it. You seem like the type that's used to figuring out weird stuff like this. Firefly: It's about the only thing I can really do right now besides going back to my plants and waiting for the next disaster. Daedalus: Yeesh, keep up the sunshine and rainbows.

He glances past her for a moment and seems to notice something before looking back at her. "And uh, I might not know much about bugs, but I think you might need to eat a little more than just that." Firefly: ...Listen, this is a little much for me to deal with out of nowhere, okay? I'll eat when I'm ready... Daedalus: If you say so. Just be careful or we'll have to start sending Fawkes to babysit you. Firefly: Ugh, don't even joke about that. Daedalus grins and starts walking back to his room, musing loudly to himself as he goes. "Might need to start a meal schedule, and- ooh, maybe even a baby monitor in case something goes wrong. I should get a notepad..." Rolling her eyes, Firefly closes the door behind him. In Collin and Jay's room, Jay's shards have barely begun to conjoin naturally, only a few of them have reformed into larger chunks that remain apart from the rest of their whole.  Zenith is still sleeping in a beanbag chair across the room. Collin has started a quiet game of shaping a small rock in his hands into various shapes and designs using his magic while he sits on the bed, lost in thought. Every once in a while he glances over at Jay's shards to see how they're doing before returning to his hands. Jays shards remain unchanging, retaining their semi-chunky state. Collin sighs and sets the rock, currently twisted in a spiral shape, down on the bedside table. He quietly gets up off the bed and makes his way out of the room before heading down the hall toward the kitchen. Silky and Karumet are there, though Silky currently has a stack of pancakes several feet tall in front of her. Karumet, on the other hand, only has a cup of coffee and an empty plate. Collin: Mornin'. Breakfast still open, I take it? Karumet: The ship makes whatever you want whenever; but Silky's made it her personal mission to eat as much of anything she can get her hands on suddenly.

Through a mouthful of pancakes, Silky sobs out a response: "'Ou would doo 'f 'ou shaw whad I did!"

Collin: Uh... do you need to talk about it? I don't want you to choke on something over it. Drinking syrup out of the bottle, Silky slams it on the table. "What's there to talk about?! All that stuff was out of our reach anyway; who even cares?!"

that sounds like it would just straight up feel bad

Karumet: Apparently you do.

Silky: What the hell would you even know about family?! You don't even have one!

Karumet: Maybe not, but at least I'm not eating my feelings.

Silky: Who cares about that?! I'm never gonna be on another stage; this figure is a waste! My career is in shambles; my family name was ruined; my life is over!!

Silky goes back to sobbing into her pancakes. Collin: Okay, okay, let's take a step back here you two.

Collin pulls up a chair to the table and sits between them. "I'll admit, I don't really know what was going on for the most part during all of that, but... are you sure everything you saw was a real thing? I mean, from what I've heard it sounds like Oz made a literal nightmare realm for everyone. Maybe he just played into everyone's fears to get the biggest reaction." Karumet: There were legitimately infinite branches of possibilities laid out around us; each one containing at least one difference from the last. We all saw things that could've been; things we couldn't have; things that can be; things that might still be possible...but it was almost impossible to distinguish the differences between those subtler realities. Absolutely none of them were within our reach; it was impossible for us to see more than the glimpses, and yet, even just those small windows seem to have made big impacts.

Silky: It wasn't even just one or two; there were hundreds of realities like that! Absolutely thousands of realities where Atlas never ruined anything; where my dad was alive; where everything was just fine; it's not fair!

Karumet: And? What good does it do being upset over what you could've had or done differently when those things aren't changed so practically now? Collin: I... I get it, I think. It sucks to have all of the "what-if" scenarios thrown out in front of you like that, but think about it for a second. Will giving up on what you have now bring about anything you saw? Is getting lost in a whirlwind of nightmares and daydreams the best way forward? Yes, you've lost a lot already, but will giving up on even more actually help you? Silky stares quietly at her pancakes for a minute and sighs as she sets her fork down.

"...Maybe not, but it's...hard not to get upset seeing stuff like that. It's something I don't want to talk about." Collin: I'm not saying it's wrong to be upset about it, I just... hate seeing you take it out on yourself like that. Silky: ...I guess I understand. I just...XL was having the same problem; her dad and sister were still alive like that, and even if she couldn't be with them, she didn't want to stop seeing them; she didn't want to stop falling. Now that it's all over, she's kind of left wondering why she's still...doing this. The war's over; and we won; but...

Karumet: ...But there's still more to fight; still people losing more than you have; still people that need help. That's why you're still doing this...

Silky: ...Yeah. Collin seems to stare through the table for a moment before he speaks, although his volume almost sounds as though he were trying to talk to himself. "I always get such a weird feeling when I hear you guys talk about your families, honestly." Karumet: ...It's probably because they're the only ones with families to talk about.

since s1 Jay was dressed in all black does that mean that everybody else on the IT is technically a Robin

Silky: ...That's kind of why we try not to bring it up in front of everybody... Collin: Well, no, it's not like jealousy or anything like that. In fact, I always feel bad about what you guys lost more than anything else. I guess it's more that I just... have trouble trying to relate, I think. I mean, I technically had parents, but one turned me into a science experiment and the other trapped me in a maze of tests for a couple of years, and I don't even really know them for anything other than that. In a way, I both did and didn't have a biological family, and I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it. The only family I really know is here, with you guys. Silky: ...I...guess I understand. I don't think any of us ever really stop feeling mad about what happened to you, either. Or, well, not always mad as much as upset that they were just kinda...always like that for you? But that just means we'll have to be the better family, huh?

Karumet: Yeah, well, great job, you almost got him killed by a ghost yesterday.

Silky: Th-that wasn't my fault! Collin: Hey, at least Silky never put me on a narrow walkway with turrets on either side and tiny, spaced out walls to hide behind. Once she does /that/, I might get upset. Karumet: Your family was clearly a bunch of lunatics. Probably for the best you barely knew either of them. Collin: I don't know if she was always that way. Like I said, I don't really remember much before waking up in the testing track. Regardless, I'm just glad to be done with the place. Karumet: ...Speaking of morally curious women, where'd your demon girlfriend slink off to? I haven't seen her since yesterday... Collin: Okay, she's not my girlfriend. But to answer your question, I'm actually not sure. She was hiding in Zenith's shadow yesterday, but I haven't really heard from her since then. Karumet: Well, whatever she is, I'm sure she's doing something else ridiculous somewhere. You should probably try to find her; she looked like she actually listened to you. Collin: Sorta, I guess? I'm not sure why, honestly. Anyway, I'll go take a look around. Talk to you guys later.

With that, Collin pushes himself away from the table and leaves the kitchen. He starts making his way through the IT, checking the music rooms and the other shared spaces to try and find her. Azreldeh does not seem to be in any open areas that Collin goes through, however, Zenith does wind up running into Collin on his way back.

Zenith: I-!! When I woke up, Jay was...Jay's back! Collin: Wait, what?

Rather than waiting for a response, he quickly ducks past him and darts down the hall for their room. Azreldeh is idly floating in the room beside Jay, who's currently balled up on the bed holding where his injured arm should be.

Azreldeh: ...Yeah, no, that's definitely not normal; I should probably go get your bug friend... Collin: What's wrong? What's not normal? Azreldeh: Oh, when did you get here? Uhh, his arm's totally black and hard, apparently. That doesn't happen normally, does it? Collin: N-No, not at all. Should I go get Firefly, or...? Azreldeh: Uhh, I guess? Unless that really mean kleivenn chick knows about this. Collin: I don't know, I never know when this is kleivenn stuff or something else. Look, I'll... I'll be right back.

He hurries back out of the room and down to Firefly's door, which he hurriedly knocks on. Firefly answers her door yet again. "Look, if you're here to make more baby jokes or something-- oh, Collin."

Collin: Huh? Baby j- Uh, n-nevermind, look, Jay came back but his arm's all wrong. Can you see if you can help? Firefly: ...His arm? That's weird...uhh, sure; I'll be there in a sec; just let me look for something first. In the meantime, you should probably see if it's hurting him or something; I'd like to know if we're dealing with a curse or another ghost before I start dragging more weird artifacts out of drawers. Collin: Right, sorry...

He hurries back to their room and stops next to Jay, hesitant to touch him. "You, uh... Your arm, is it hurting? alienrabitt: N-no, I just...I can't move it or anything while it's like this. I don't know what's wrong; this hasn't happened before...ugh, but...I really don't care about this. Collin: ... Huh? What do you mean "you don't care"? alienrabitt: ...Collin, do you remember what I told you the wish I made when I became a hermes was about? Collin: Oh, you remember- Uh, yeah, but... What does that have to do with this? I mean, I'm okay, so...? alienrabitt: ...I...guess it doesn't have anything to do with this, but...when Oz decided to pull whatever big stunt of his he messed up, when he tried to kill you...my wish hadn't changed. Even though I was technically part of Demo, what he was doing, it wasn't just pulling you apart...but...I couldn't do anything about it...I couldn't even get through to everybody else...I was just dying by myself in the middle of absolutely nothing. I...I don't care what the hell this is about; I just...

cannocal reminder in case anyone missed that Oz was so stupid he almost killed himself as soon as he became a god

Collin: Oh God Jay, I... I'm so sorry.

He kneels down next to the bed and puts a hand on his shoulder. alienrabitt: ...I'm glad you're okay. Is everyone else? I...don't really know what happened... Collin: Yeah, everyone's still recovering from all of that, but they're okay. Oz got charbroiled, so don't worry about him either. alienrabitt: ...And Demo? Collin: She's alive. I think she might still be recovering in XL's room. She was pretty upset about the whole thing, for obvious reasons. alienrabitt: ...But she's okay? That's such a relief; I figured since she took me in that maybe...but you're okay, so she's probably fine too...

Firefly finally shows up in the room, Zenith following worriedly behind her.

Firefly: So, what's the verdict? Collin: It's not hurting him, at least. Sounds like he can't move it or anything though. Crouching down beside Jay, Firefly pulls on a pair of metallic goggles with tinted lenses that seem to flicker slightly. "Hmm, you're right; more than anything, it just looks like a mess of conflicting sources of magic...Azreldeh, you helped him, didn't you?"

Azreldeh: Y-you could've just looked at my horns to figure that out!

Firefly: Yeah, well, even if you're trying to help, you're still a demon...but your magic isn't even what's causing this; more than anything, it looks like it's because of Zenith and Demo. They're both so unstable that the arm can't stay in any one state; but constantly shifting would leave Jay at a disadvantage; so it tried to compromise; but...this doesn't really help either. Collin: Wait, what? I thought Demo and Zenith weren't connected with him anymore, at least not when it comes to his power or whatever you want to call it. Firefly: They aren't right now; but since he just got done with sharing a body with both of them; and since Oz was straining it pretty hard; and since he was trying to force Demo to make Jay a part of them, Jay must've been trying not to do that, which means taking in all that chaotic mess that Oz was using to make everything so...wrong.

alright, key point for later, limbs/things like this come from taking in absurd amounts of unstable/chaotic magic

Collin: ... Yeah, I guess that'd do it, huh. What should we do about it though? Firefly: Taking this stuff in is really ill-advised; if this is what it's doing to Jay's arm, there's no telling what it'd do to a person like you. Fortunately it doesn't seem to be enough to make a serious impact on Jay; it wasn't even enough to give him a physical form; so for now, all we can really do is watch and make sure it doesn't get worse, which it shouldn't unless somebody feeds into it.

and Firefly even points out that the magic itself has a chance to do something much, much worse. but Jay only took in a small amount...

She glances over to Azreldeh. "...So you better keep your hands to yourself."

Azreldeh: Well, I won't touch him, but you can't tell me not to touch anybody...

Firefly: Y-you know what I mean!! Don't try to flirt with me! Collin: Good grief... I just wish I could do something. Not having an arm is going to suck... Firefly: I'm sure once whatever this is works its way out, Jay will be fine again. Collin: I sure hope so. We've had enough emergencies thanks to Oz already. Zenith: Uhh, Demo really sounded like she wanted to talk to you when you got up, but...if you don't want to-

alienrabitt: No, I do. We probably need to after...all that... Collin: Do you need help getting up? alienrabitt: Believe it or not, no; even before now, my arm couldn't really hold up my own weight, so I'm kind of used to...not using it for that.

Despite this statement, it does seem to take him a little more effort than usual to get upright and off the bed. Collin: Alright, just... let me know if you need help. Let's go see if Demo is still in XL's room. Upon arriving in XL's room, the group finds that Demo has actually left. Collin: Well, at least she can move again. I guess she'll be in her room then? XL: She didn't tell me she was gonna talk to anybody, so I'd call that a safe bet. Collin: Alright, thanks XL. I guess we'll try there then. The group tries Demo's room. Though it takes some time for her to answer the door, she manages to do so, even if she leans against the doorframe the entire time. Visibly tired, she won't meet anyone's eyes, not even Jay's. "...So you woke up."

alienrabitt: Demo, why're you hiding your room again? I already know what's in it...

Demo: It's not exactly a public gallery...but you didn't come here to judge my interior design skills, did you? alienrabitt: ...I-...when Oz made you-...Demo; I know how you really feel about me. I know about everything; I know you didn't mean to hurt everybody like that; I know you didn't want to kill Collin...but...

Demo: ...Yeah, you know about what everybody else does at this point, and I know you're late to the party.

alienrabitt: ...That's...why didn't you tell me about how you felt about me? Not...not Tori, me.

Demo looks past Jay for a minute. "...That. Isn't a conversation for an audience."

She looks back at him. "...Look, just...don't sweat it; especially when you blatantly have bigger problems going on. I'm just glad I didn't mess you up too." Collin: Uh, if you two need to talk some more, we can just leave. It's not a big deal, really. Demo: ...Nah, you can come talk to me when everybody's less...shaken and stirred. I'm pretty patient, trust me. Just...figure out what the hell's up with yourself first; we can get back to me. Collin: Me? I'm fine, it's Jay's arm that's paying the price for Oz's stunt right now. Demo: Believe me, I'm...well aware.

Firefly: Did something happen to you to?

Demo: I'm sorry; did I ask for paparazzi once Jay woke up? No? Just for him? Take a hike, Flick; this is an A B conversation. Collin: Jesus, right back at it aren't you? Demo: Look, there's only so many people I wanna talk to right now, and she's about the last one I wanna see. Collin: Alright, well try this instead: Zenith, Firefly, can you let us talk this out for a little while? Zenith: Uhh...yeah, I can do that...

Firefly: ...I...sure.

Firefly leaves, glancing back at Demo a few times. Zenith, on the other hand, just leaves without any hassle. Demo looks relieved to have both of them out of her presence.

Demo: ...To answer her question; yes, I didn't get out of that without repercussions either.

Stepping aside, Demo allows the pair into her proper room again. After stepping inside, Collin turns back to face Demo. "What happened to you? You look normal, at least." Demo is very careful all the way back to her chair, sitting down about as quickly and unceremoniously as possible. "Yeah, well, hell works in mysterious ways, pal."

Collin: Uh... Is something wrong with your legs, or...? Demo: You are absolutely correct; how observant of you. Can't really blame you for not noticing before; I do kinda wear clothes that actually cover most of me; hell, even Silky didn't notice when she carried me off because she was in her armor; but once she put me down and XL saw...

alienrabitt: Your whole body was like my arm?

Demo: For the most part. I told them not to tell anybody; didn't want to freak anyone out, especially when we didn't know what it was or even why it was happening. By this morning, most of it was totally gone, so I just left without a warning. I'm sure XL's about as steamed as she can get, but whatever.

...while Demo took enough to change 80% of her body

that’s something to keep in mind for later, but I’m saying this more for myself at this point

Collin: Well, at least it got better? Hopefully it'll be the same case for Jay too. Demo: Oh, I'm sure it will be. He'll be fine regardless; it doesn't hurt at all; it's just really annoying. Turns out kleivenn aren't supposed to take in magic so strong it can snap reality over its knee; go figure.

alienrabitt: ...So, you-

Demo: Me, me, me; you're sounding pretty obsessed finally, huh? I'll cut to the chase; I wasn't really sure back then. I couldn't tell you apart; and that ruined everything about my perception; even when I came back, I only ever thought of you as this one thing, when you were something totally different the whole time. I was so obsessed with the frame, I never even bothered to look at the damn painting. But you? You're the real big picture. 'Course, now that I'm seeing you like that, I've got no damn idea what that means for me, or even if I care about that. That whole other half thing...I don't want you to be a part of me. You are my other half, yeah, but we work better like this.

alienrabitt: That's...I'm uhh, not sure how to take all that? This is seriously what was eating you up while I was gone?

Demo: Wh-- of course not; I thought you were dead! I shattered you and took you in; all you and your boyfriend's stupid magic paralyzed me from the neck down for a day straight; do you think during that whole time all I was thinking about was "golly, I sure am one lucky gal to be besties with my brother?!"

alienrabitt: W-well, I'm not dead, so...! Don't worry about it!

Demo: God, you really are just one dense motherfucker sometimes... Collin: Jay, it's not just the fact that you almost died, it's the fact that it happened because Demo wasn't seeing you for who you really are. alienrabitt: ...Okay, I...think I get it. Sorry, getting shattered like that is giving me a little bit of a hard time. Azreldeh couldn't totally fix me; she just kinda gave me enough magic to be here.

Demo: ...Ugh, you're making me feel guilty just looking at you. Just...you get the point; please leave. Collin: Alright, we'll get out of your hair. You gonna be alright by yourself? Demo: I'm...getting by. Don't worry about it. Nydins'll probably be in here soon enough anyway... Collin: Fair enough. We'll leave you to it then.

alright, next time we...go back to the Starbound universe, but not really for War Reasons?